Bulgarian Wing Commits to LMU

2 April, 2018

By Go-To Guy, LMU Lions Roar Contributor

According to multiple sources, Ivan Alipiev, a 6’7” SG/SF from Bulgaria has committed to LMU to play basketball. Alipiev, who will be a freshman in the fall of 2018, is a skilled offensive player with a very smooth outside shot. He has excellent range well beyond the arc and he can drive to the basket and score with a variety of shots.

Alipiev can also get out and run and fill the lane and looks to have excellent court vision, attributes that will help in an up-tempo style of play. Although he is never going to be a PG at LMU he often brings the ball up the court for Bulgaria.

The recruitment of Alipiev continues a trend for Coach Dunlap, who has been looking for players who can play multiple positions. In that sense, he will fit in nicely with fall signee 6’6” SG/SF Dameane Douglas, who is also very versatile.

The Bulgarian has garnered many honors including a variety of MVPs and all-tournament teams and the Eurobasket Player of the Week award in the Balkan League. Here’s a highlight video of his play in the 2017 U18 European Championships:

Alipiev is going to need to put on weight and get stronger and he does have a bit of a low release on his outside shot. He’s going to have to adjust to tougher defenses than he has seen in Europe, but he certainly looks like he has plenty of upside and could be an exciting offensive player for the Lions.

Here’s one more can’t-miss highlight illustrating that he is the type of player that can score in multiple ways: